Ted Cruz says there was ‘no compelling national security reason’ for the advanced surveillance technology to be switched off

Investigators trying to determine what caused last week’s deadly midair collision between a US military Black Hawk helicopter and an American Airlines plane near Washington, DC, briefed lawmakers Thursday on what they’ve learned after combing through data from both aircraft and air traffic control.

A key safety system was turned off on a U.S. Army helicopter that collided with an American Airlines regional jet last week near Washington Reagan Airport, killing 67. Senate Commerce Committee chair Ted Cruz told reporters the Black Hawk helicopter had turned off its automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B),

The U.S. Army helicopter that collided with an passenger jet near Washington, D.C., had an advanced surveillance system turned off.

Army Blackhawk helicopter that collided with an American Eagle flight over the Potomac River​ late last month was flying with a safety system turned off, Sen. Ted Cruz told reporters after a briefing from the FAA and NTSB.

Technology that would have allowed air traffic controllers to better track the movement of an Army helicopter was turned off at the time of the crash, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said in an interview Thursday.